Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 498 Promising Marriage, Discussing the Southern Expedition

"You rarely travel to Luoyang?"

Inside the hall, Zhang Yu and Zhuge Jin had a close conversation, and Zhang Yu asked a question.

"Before Dong Zhuo seized power, I traveled to Luoyang with my uncle to study, and I did some basic research on Confucian classics such as the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, and the Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. I dare not claim to be an expert. When Dong Zhuo seized power, war broke out in the Central Plains. I stayed in Nanyang with my uncle, and later followed him to Yuzhang." Zhuge Jin did not hide anything and told him everything.

Zhang Yu asked, "Since you have traveled extensively, I imagine you possess foresight. Now that I have just taken Jingzhou, and China is about to be at peace, I wonder if you have any insights?"

Zhuge Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Since Dong Zhuo's usurpation of power, the world has been in turmoil for ten years. In these ten years, there has been no year without war and no year without battles. The flames of war have been everywhere, the people have no hope of survival, and the crops have withered. If Your Majesty wishes to bring peace to China, it will not be difficult. In my humble opinion, you should reduce taxes and corvée labor, encourage people to return to their fields, and avoid harming their livelihoods. This will make the people submit."

“There are still powerful bandits on the borders. How can we put our weapons away when the bandits have not been pacified?” Zhang Yu said calmly, “What you say may be a method for achieving peace, but it cannot be a strategy for building a prosperous world.”

Zhuge Jin pondered for a moment, then said, "May I ask Your Majesty how many years have you been raising an army? Are the people in the places where you rose up exhausted? Are taxes levied on the rich and neglected on the poor?"

"Your Majesty has fought in numerous campaigns, and your insights far surpass mine. I'm sure you understand the differences between us!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu couldn't help but re-evaluate Zhuge Jin. Clearly, Zhuge Jin was cunning and perhaps not as talented as other ministers, but he was adept at offering advice.

"Ziyu, you might as well speak frankly!" Zhang Yu said, softening his tone.

Seeing that Zhang Yu was not angry, Zhuge Jin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty, the taxes Your Majesty has established are different from those of the Han Dynasty. Now, each household is taxed three shi of millet, one bolt of silk (or cloth), and five liang of cotton. Although this tax is slightly lower than that under Yuan Shu, the circumstances of each household are different, and there are differences in the benefits and detrimental effects. Powerful families conceal their household registrations, reporting hundreds or more people as a single household. This law favors the powerful and despises the common people, so Your Majesty should reform it."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhuge Jin's statement.

In the early days of establishing his empire, in order to gain the support of powerful clans and wealthy families, Zhang Yu deliberately downplayed the concepts of population size and land area, replacing them with taxation based on households. The difference in taxation amounts between commoners and powerful families was not significant, since the tax burden was the same for two households with 1,000 mu of land and one with 100 mu of land.

Zhang Yu, Zhong Yao, Du Ji, and other key personnel were actually aware of this, but due to the continuous war, the central government could not devote too much energy to it and had to continue with the original policy.

Of course, if it weren't for the large salt tax as a supplement, the Zhang Yu Group would have long been facing a financial shortage.

Now that most of the country has been conquered, perhaps, as Zhuge Jin suggested, we should consider reforming the tax system and making the tax collection more reasonable. This would not only allow the central government to have more wealth, but also reduce the burden on ordinary people.

Seeing that Zhang Yu remained silent, Zhuge Jin mustered his courage and said, "Your Majesty rose to power in Bingzhou. Bingzhou has a small population but a large number of soldiers and generals. Therefore, it would be better to reduce the taxes in Bingzhou. This would not only avoid significantly reducing the tax burden but also demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence. Furthermore, it would encourage the people of other provinces to wholeheartedly desire the unification of the world and reduce or exempt all taxes."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and exclaimed, "Your insights are remarkable; you truly deserve Kuai Yue's praise."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Yu said, “Yanzhou has just been conquered, and less than one-tenth of its population remains. The fields are barren, and the population is sparse. The various prefectures are in dire need of governors. Why not appoint him as the governor of Jibei Prefecture?”

When Yanzhou was first conquered, the total number of registered households was less than 100,000, so merging the prefectures and counties was not impossible. However, Zhang Yu considered the issue of the amount of power involved and ultimately abandoned the idea of ​​merging the prefectures and counties. Instead, he selected capable people from among the surrendered people to serve as prefects or county magistrates.

In the more populous counties of Yu and Jing provinces, scholars who had long followed Zhang Yu were appointed to these positions, so that everyone could enjoy the fruits of victory. After all, if subordinates did not receive promotions, they would eventually harbor resentment.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing Zhang Yu promote him to the position of prefect, Zhuge Jin was overjoyed and bowed.

"No gift!"

Zhang Yuxu helped her up and asked with a smile, "Do you have any younger brothers or sisters-in-law in your family?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Jin was puzzled and paused for a moment before saying, "I have four younger siblings. My second and third sisters are already married. My second and third brothers are still at home studying and farming."

"Is there a brother of yours who is known as Zhuge Liang?"

"Have!"

Zhuge Jin truthfully replied, "He is my second younger brother, whose courtesy name is Kongming, and he is exactly twenty years old."

"When I was chatting with Mr. Shui Jing, he mentioned that your younger brother is a hero of Jingchu. Although he is young and has not yet entered officialdom, he has the talent to help the world." Zhang Yu smiled and asked, "I wonder how he compares to you?"

Zhuge Jin pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, my younger brother's talent is ten times that of me. He is naturally intelligent and has great ambitions. He often compares himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi."

As he spoke, fearing that Zhang Yu might suspect him of boasting, Zhuge Jin added, "I have heard that talent should be recommended based on virtue. Although Zhuge Liang is my brother, I dare not speak recklessly."

Are you married?

"Hmm~"

Zhuge Jin hesitated for a moment, then said, "We are not married, but there are families who are considering marriage!" "That's good since we are not married!"

Zhang Yu interrupted, saying, "My uncle's eldest daughter has come of age, and I am currently looking for a good husband for her. I have heard that your younger brother is eight feet tall, handsome, and talented, so I will betroth my sister to him."

Zhang Yu's cousin was Zhang Yang's eldest daughter. Before the uprising, Zhang Yang's wife, Lady Liu, had given birth to a daughter. Now that she had reached marriageable age, Zhang Yang intended to find a good husband for his beloved daughter. Many people came to propose marriage, but because Zhang Yu had not given his consent, Zhang Yang dared not make a decision. Now that Zhuge Liang was unmarried, Zhang Yu simply took it upon herself to arrange the marriage.

The intention behind forcibly arranging the marriage with Zhuge Liang is self-evident. If Zhuge Liang could be brought into the service of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yu would gain an all-around talent with exceptional loyalty, and would no longer have to worry about finding a capable prime minister.

After all, Zhong Yao was not young, and the affairs of state were tiring. He could not stay in office until he died; he would eventually have to retire.

According to the Han Dynasty's rule of retiring at seventy, Zhong Yao is currently fifty years old, and has about twenty years of political life ahead of him. If he dies prematurely from overwork, he will only have a little over ten years of political life left.

Of course, even if Zhong Yao lived to be seventy, it would be difficult for Zhang Yu to let him serve for the full twenty years. Therefore, after Zhong Yao left the position of prime minister, Du Ji took over, and Zhuge Liang was able to wait until Du Ji stepped down before taking over.

At that time, Zhuge Liang was probably in his forties, at the peak of his political career. If he were still in office, he would probably be an old man nearing sixty. After his death, he could be entrusted with the affairs of state without worrying about the corruption of the court.

"what!"

Zhuge Jin was unaware of Zhang Yu's thoughts. He hadn't expected to be chosen by Zhang Yu; after all, while his younger brother was outstanding, Zhang Yu hadn't even met him once before bestowing a marriage upon him, which was truly astonishing.
He didn't understand why the king favored his younger brother. Could it be that the king already knew his younger brother well?

"how?"

Zhang Yu deliberately asked, "As the elder brother, are you perhaps unable to make the decision?"

"We can make the decision!"

Zhuge Jin hesitated and said, "Your Majesty appreciates my heart, and I am deeply grateful. It would be an honor for the Ge family to form a marriage alliance with Your Majesty. However, the matter of marriage still needs to be discussed in detail, especially since Your Majesty has not yet met me personally. I wonder if we can finalize the marriage after I have met Your Majesty?"

"Although I have never met Kongming, I know your younger brother well. There is no need to say more about the marriage; let's settle it here. As for the summons, we will meet with him when the former general arrives in Wancheng," Zhang Yu said firmly.

"On behalf of Lady Ge, I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

Seeing that Zhang Yu had made up his mind, Zhuge Jin was overjoyed and bowed to Zhang Yu again.

After Zhuge Jin took his leave, Zhang Yu had lunch and then dozed off for a while before summoning the military generals of Chen.

According to their official rank, Zhang Yu first met with Huang Zhong.

Although Huang Zhong was old, Zhang Yu knew of Huang Zhong's resilience and strength, and his ability to kill Xiahou Yuan at Dingjun Mountain demonstrated his exceptional martial skills, so Zhang Yu intended to give him an important position. Although Huang Zhong was loyal to his former lord, seeing that Zhang Yu had married a woman from the Yuan family and treated the Yuan clan well, he agreed to serve Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu appointed Huang Zhong as General Dinghai, commanding 5,000 naval troops, and stationed them at Fancheng.

After Huang Zhong took his leave, Zhang Yu met with Generals Wang Wei and Han Xi.

Wang Wei and Xu Huang shared the same background, both being county officials. When Yuan Shu took control of Jingzhou, Wang Wei gained Yuan Shu's favor for his merits in suppressing bandits, and subsequently rose through the ranks to become a general. Before Yuan Yao surrendered, Wang Wei was one of the few advocates of war, suggesting a surprise attack on Zhang Yu, but no one was willing to listen.

Zhang Yu debated with Wang Wei and found his responses fluent and insightful, demonstrating unique military wisdom. While not quite on par with Wen Ping, the difference was not significant. Impressed, Zhang Yu appointed him as a General of the Household, commanding a naval force of 5,000 men.

Han Xi, a member of the Han clan of Nanyang, studied military strategy from a young age and had considerable insight into it. His ancestor was Han Xin, a founding hero of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and his lineage could even be traced back to the Han royal family. He was a powerful figure in Nanyang Commandery.

After their conversation, it was concluded that Han Xi lacked foresight and was not particularly skilled in military command. Therefore, Zhang Yu appointed him Acting General of the Central Army, placing him under the command of Wang Wei.

It was nearly dark when it was finally Han Hao's turn to be received.

"Now that I have just arrived in Jingzhou, the three bandits in Jiangnan have not yet been eliminated. I wonder what Yuan Si's opinion is?" Zhang Yu asked.

Han Hao pondered for a long time before saying, "To quell the three bandits, we cannot do so without a navy. When Sun Jian attacked Ba and Shu, large ships accompanied him into Shu. Therefore, Your Majesty needs to repair the ships. However, repairing the ships and building a navy is not something that can be accomplished overnight. If we build ships in one year and train them the following year, we can have a navy ready in two years if we are quick, and we can defeat the bandits in three years if we are slow."

"The repair of ships will take a long time, and the troops stationed on the frontier will consume a huge amount of grain. In my opinion, Your Majesty can order the soldiers to camp in fertile land and accumulate grain. By then, the navy will have been built over several years, and the camp will have yielded results. At that time, there will be no need to transport grain when you fight against the bandits. Your Majesty will surely be able to destroy all the bandits and pacify the world."

Zhang Yu nodded and said appreciatively, "Yuan Si's plan is a wise one. The key to the army's expenses lies in its provisions. If the provisions are sufficient, it will be easy to quell the bandits. There will be no need for the trouble of transportation, wouldn't that be more convenient!"

"Since the matter of military settlements was proposed by you, then you shall be in charge of the military settlements in Jingzhou."

Han Hao's military settlement strategy solved Zhang Yu's problem of stationing troops. After all, the key to stationing troops on the frontier lies in the supply of military provisions. Transferring provisions from the Central Plains is too far, and if local production can provide the necessary supplies, a considerable amount of military provisions can be saved.

Therefore, Han Hao suggested that the Tang army take advantage of the time to repair the ships and have the soldiers farm and cultivate the land. This would solve the problem of military food and also provide food for subsequent expeditions, which was a wise idea.

(End of this chapter)